Christmas Day is here. For most of us this is a day of celebration and excitement. Rita and I talked to our daughter Erin and her family in Guatemala over Skype this morning. Isn’t modern technology something? Not only did we hear the voices of the grandchildren, we could actually see them in live time. It is not really like being there. But I think of early missionaries that left America and their families never heard from them again. How things have changed. When Rita and I watched the news this morning we heard of the shootings and death that took place on Christmas Eve in America. It makes us wonder what the message of the angels really means, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,” Luke 2:14. I think of the second verse of the carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” The carol says, “And in despair I bowed my head: There is no peace on earth, I said, For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men. What did the angels mean? A careful reading of the Greek text tells us that there is a truth that is missing in our English translations. The Greek text reads, “Glory in [the] highest to God and on earth peace in men.” In other words the peace is promised to, “men that have the peace of God in them.” And that is the problem. Shootings, thievery, and church burnings are the direct result of not having God in men. Revelation 9:20-21, gives a very real view into the lives of men that will not repent. Jesus tells John that unrepentant men are full of, “devil worship, idolatry, murders, sorceries (drug abuse), fornication and thefts.” The writer of, “I Heard the Bells of Christmas Day,” adds this line,” Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men. The truth of the gospel is this, “God will be victorious!” Allow the message of the angels to be a promise to you this Christmas. No matter what takes place in the external world, to those that accept Christ there can be peace within the human spirit. We pray that the peace of Christ will be in you this Christmas. Christmas Blessings and Joy to you and yours, Dan & Rita youtu.be/oZtNlZmnEMU
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 18:17:11 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015